But the V8 support races at Australian Grand Prix remain non-championship, with Albert Park organisers again failing to gain Formula One approval for title status.

The compacted calendar means that events will be two to three weeks apart, except for an official four-week winter break between Winton (May 21-22) and Darwin (June 18-19).

There is also a new international street race event in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, the first event outside Australasia since the one-off appearance at Circuit Of The Americas, near Austin, Texas in 2013.

Meanwhile, the Phillip Island SuperSprint has been brought forward from penultimate event to third round in mid-April, and the unpopular twin 60-kilometre Saturday sprints have been replaced by a single 120km race, with the 200km Sunday race continuing at regular SuperSprint events.

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Ford is officially out of V8 racing, ending what was minor financial support of nominally factory-backed Prodrive Racing last year, and wealthy Erebus Motorsport owner Betty Klimenko gives up on the privateer Mercedes-Benz effort after three years and tens of millions of dollars, parking AMG E63s to run custom Commodores.

While J-Dub and Giz engage (hopefully) in the greatest racing feud since warring McLaren F1 teammates Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in 1988-89, don't dismiss the possibility that wily veteran Craig Lowndes – snug in his own satellite squad – will sneak past them to grab that elusive fourth crown (his first since 1999).

YOUNG GUN

While the Triple Eight trio will be the ones to beat, if Prodrive Racing retain their 2015 driver's title-winning mojo, Chaz Mostert will pose more of a threat than his defending champion teammate Mark Winterbottom. He would have challenged "Frosty" for last year's title if he hadn't been sidelined by that big qualifying crash at Bathurst. Now recovered from his broken left leg and wrist, "Mozzie" has the speed and composure to excel.

THE PENSKE WAY

If any team is going to move up and challenge the established order, it's DJR Team Penske. After a fast and fraught initial year of learning under the new ownership of American racing icon Roger Penske, Ford folk hero Dick Johnson's cameo squad has the experience, resources and drivers to worry Triple Eight and Prodrive. Alongside solid retainee Scott Pye, new signing Fabian Coulthard has the speed and the smarts to win races.

HOLDEN ON

This is it. Holden Racing Team has to perform like their glory days in the late 1990s and early 2000s or risk losing their factory backing, which is up for renewal at the end of the year. The "rebuild" has gone on long enough– now is the time for HRT to provide James Courtney and Garth Tander consistently competitive Commodores. No more excuses now that Walkinshaw Racing has cut back to a two-car effort.

VOLVO DILEMMA

Rising V8 star Scott McLaughlin was the sensation of 2014, winning the most pole positions and frightening the field in his Volvo S60. Last year, not so much. Garry Rogers Motorsport struggled with reliability until late in the season. GRM have to lift their game to keep Volvo on board and retain McLaughlin, out of contract at the end of this season and the target of top teams looking for a proven winner. Hopefully, the addition of Moffat – McLaughlin's first serious Volvo teammate – will push him and the team forward.

TOUGH TESTS

Following in the tyre tracks of van Gisbergen, Will Davison has to be a front-runner with Tekno to revive his standing. David Reynolds, fast enough to be third in last year's title despite falling out with his Prodrive team, is carrying the weight of the dysfunctional Erebus squad on his shoulders. "Crazy Dave" is quirky and quick, but his talent might be stretched. The Kelly family run Nissan Motorsport team has to step up and win races – and they just might. Albury-based Brad Jones Racing will shine occasionally, but veteran Jason Bright – V8s' eldest regular driver at 42 – and unproven recruit Tim Slade will struggle.

TRADING PLACES

Although none of the established stars moved, nine drivers changed teams in an unusually large migration.

DJR Team Penske – Retrieves entry leased to Super Black Racing to return to running two Falcons, signing Fabian Coulthard to join Scott Pye. No second comeback for returned former V8 champion Marcos Ambrose.

Team 18 – Former Dick Johnson Racing championship-winning partner, forklift magnate Charlie Schwerkolt, bunted for third time after WR reorganisation, setting up his own Melbourne-based Preston Hire Racing team with an ex-Triple Eight VF Commodore for untapped talent Lee Holdsworth.

Tekno Autosports – Plucky family run one-car team replaces Kiwi prodigy van Gisbergen with Erebus refugee and former front-runner Will Davison. Trade-off for having race-winning rising star snatched by Triple Eight is a tight technical alliance.

Sponsor swaps – Among the poaches, Supercheap Auto moved from Walkinshaw Racing to Mostert's Falcon at Prodrive; Monster Energy added title backing of Waters' Prodrive Falcon to continued support of HRT; SP Tools reduced its funding of HRT to take over main sponsorship of Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport; and most of the drivers who changed teams brought their personal backing with them.